The present disclosure relates to an imaging apparatus, an iris device, an imaging method, and a program that are capable of performing multispectral imaging in a small mechanism. The imaging apparatus includes: an image sensor that captures an image of a subject; an optical system that forms an image on the image sensor with light from the subject; and an iris mechanism that restricts the amount of light passing through the optical system. The iris mechanism includes aperture blades that adjust a size of an aperture causing the light from the subject to pass through the aperture, and an optical filter that is provided to at least one of the aperture blades and transmits light having a predetermined wavelength. The aperture blades are driven to positions where the aperture has a predetermined size, in a state where the optical filter provided to the at least one of the aperture blades is hidden by one of the aperture blades other than the aperture blade of the optical filter. The aperture blades provided with predetermined optical filters are driven such that the predetermined optical filters sequentially cover the aperture at predetermined timings. The present technology can be applied to, for example, an imaging apparatus including an iris mechanism.
Legal claims defining the scope of protection, as filed with the USPTO.
1. An imaging apparatus, comprising: an optical system comprising a plurality of lenses configured to: receive light from a subject; and condense the received light; a central processing unit (CPU); an iris mechanism configured to control an amount of the condensed light from the optical system, wherein the iris mechanism includes: a plurality of aperture blades configured to adjust a size of an aperture, based on a first control signal from the CPU, such that the condensed light passes through the aperture, and a plurality of optical filters, corresponding to each of the plurality of aperture blades, wherein the plurality of optical filters are configured to transmit the condensed light having a particular wavelength, wherein positions of the plurality of aperture blades are controlled such that a particular size of the aperture is obtained, wherein the positions of the plurality of aperture blades are controlled in a state where one of the plurality of optical filters, corresponding to a first aperture blade of the plurality of aperture blades, is completely hidden by a second aperture blade of the plurality of aperture blades, and wherein the plurality of aperture blades, corresponding to particular optical filters of the plurality of optical filters, are controlled such that the particular optical filters of the plurality of optical filters sequentially cover the aperture at particular time instances; and an image sensor configured to capture an image based on the condensed light from the plurality of optical filters.
2. The imaging apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein a smallest aperture state, from a plurality of aperture states, is obtained based on the positions of the plurality of aperture blades, and wherein the plurality of optical filters are sequentially present at the aperture, in the smallest aperture state, such that the image is captured in time-division manner, based on a multispectral imaging mode, with the condensed light from the plurality of optical filters.
3. The imaging apparatus according to claim 2 , wherein the image sensor is further configured to generate an image signal based on the captured image; and the imaging apparatus further comprising: an amplifier configured to amplify the image signal such that a first signal strength of the image signal, output in the multispectral mode, is equivalent to a second signal strength of the image signal, output in an imaging technique other than the multispectral imaging mode, wherein the image signal is amplified based on a second control signal from the CPU.
4. The imaging apparatus according to claim 2 , the image sensor is further configured to increase an exposure time associated with the condensed light such that a first signal strength of an image signal, output in the multispectral imaging mode, is equivalent to a second signal strength of the image signal, output in an imaging technique other than the multispectral imaging mode, and wherein the exposure time is increased based on a third control signal from the CPU.
5. The imaging apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the image sensor is configured to capture the image in one of a normal imaging mode or a multispectral imaging mode based on a second control signal from the CPU, wherein, in the normal imaging mode, the iris mechanism lacks the plurality of optical filters, and wherein, in the multispectral imaging mode, the condensed light from the plurality of optical filters.
6. The imaging apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the iris mechanism includes a plurality of iris mechanism parts that are superimposed in an optical axis direction of the optical system, wherein each of the plurality of iris mechanism parts includes: the plurality of aperture blades, and the plurality of optical filters.
7. The imaging apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the image sensor includes a plurality of color filters of three primary colors, in a particular array for each of pixels, on a light-receiving surface, and the image sensor is configured to capture the image with the condensed light having wavelength characteristics of the plurality of color filters acquired by superimposition of the wavelength characteristics of the plurality of color filters on wavelength characteristics of the plurality of optical filters.
8. The imaging apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the image sensor is configured to capture the image with the condensed light having wavelength characteristics of the plurality of optical filters.
9. The imaging apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the iris mechanism includes at least three optical filters of the plurality of optical filters to capture the image with the condensed light divided into at least three wavelength ranges.
10. The imaging apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the plurality of optical filters are configured to transmit the condensed light in a smaller wavelength range than wavelength ranges of the condensed light from a plurality of color filters of three primary colors, wherein the plurality of color filters are present on a light-receiving surface of the image sensor.
11. The imaging apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the plurality of optical filters are configured to transmit the condensed light in a wavelength range of visible light or a particular wavelength range other than the visible light.
12. An iris device, comprising: a plurality of aperture blades configured to adjust a size of an aperture, based on a control signal from a central processing unit (CPU), such that light from a subject passes through the aperture; and a plurality of optical filters corresponding to at least one of the plurality of aperture blades, wherein the plurality of optical filters are configured to transmit the light having a particular wavelength, wherein positions of the aperture blades are controlled, based on the control signal from the CPU, such that a particular size of the aperture is obtained, wherein the positions of the plurality of aperture blades are controlled in a state where one of the plurality of optical filters, corresponding to a first aperture blade of the plurality of aperture blades, is completely hidden by a second aperture blade of the plurality of aperture blades, and wherein the plurality of aperture blades, corresponding to particular optical filters of the plurality of optical filters, are controlled such that the particular optical filters of the plurality of filters sequentially cover the aperture at particular time instances.
13. A method comprising: in an iris mechanism of an imaging apparatus: controlling positions of a plurality of aperture blades, based on a control signal from a central processing unit (CPU), such that a particular size of an aperture is obtained to pass light, from a subject, through the aperture, wherein the positions of the plurality of aperture blades are controlled in a state where one of a plurality of optical filters, corresponding to a first aperture blade of the plurality of aperture blades, is completely hidden by a second aperture blade of the plurality of aperture blades, and controlling the plurality of aperture blades, corresponding to particular optical filters of the plurality of optical filters, such that the particular optical filters of the plurality of filters sequentially cover the aperture at particular timings.
14. A non-transitory computer readable medium having stored thereon computer-readable instructions, which when executed by a computer, cause the computer to execute operations, the operations comprising: controlling positions of a plurality of aperture blades, based on a control signal from a central processing unit (CPU), such that a particular size of an aperture is obtained to pass light, from a subject, through the aperture, wherein the positions of the plurality of aperture blades are controlled in a state where one of a plurality of optical filters, corresponding to a first aperture blade of the plurality of aperture blades, is completely hidden by a second aperture blade of the plurality of aperture blades, and controlling the plurality of aperture blades, corresponding to particular optical filters of the plurality of optical filters, such that the particular optical filters of the plurality of optical filters sequentially cover the aperture at particular timings.
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February 27, 2015
July 10, 2018
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